Filaret announces the appearance of new "bishops"

Filaret Denisenko chairing the "Bishops' Council" of the UOC-KP. Photo: cerkva.info

On December 13, 2021, Filaret Denisenko held a regular meeting of the “Bishops' Council” of the liquidated Kyiv Patriarchate with the participation of 12 of its “hierarchs”, at which they decided to elect two new “bishops”, reports the official website of the UOC-KP.

In particular, it was decided to elect the secretary of the Vicariate of the UOC-KP in the USA and Canada, "hieromonk" Bohdan Zgoba, the "bishop" of Philadelphia, the vicar of the Kyiv Eparchy. Also, at the request of “Archbishop” Filaret of Falesti and Eastern Moldova, “Archimandrite” Aviv (Panku) will be elevated to the “bishop's” dignity with the appointment as “bishop” of Riscani, the vicar of the Eastern Moldovan Eparchy.

The UOC-KP reported that "bishop ordinations" will be held in the near future in Kyiv. Also, the "Council" headed by Denisenko decided to offer prayers of thanks for the "further existence and growth of an independent church" of the UOC-KP.

As reported, earlier the head of the OCU Epiphany Dumenko chided the head of the UOC-KP Filaret Denisenko for "violating the canonical order and statute". The claims concerned the "monastic" tonsure of the secretary of the Vicariate of the UOC-KP in the USA and Canada, "archpriest" Bohdan Zgoba. In response, the UOC-KP said that the American “priest” is not under the jurisdiction of the OCU since the Tomos prohibits it from having foreign parishes.

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